Making Sense is a playful, collaborative, and interactive science and design exhibition exploring our five senses featuring work by art and design students from Northeastern University. This hands-on experience encourages visitors to contemplate how our senses are evolving in a rapidly changing world and the role of technology in shaping these perceptions.
The exhibition features 16 projects that explore how our senses work and, ultimately, how we make sense of the world around us. Feel history with your hands, see like your dog, understand why you get dizzy, notice how age changes your relationship to your toothbrush, experience how the smell of coffee sparks memory, and more.
Northeastern University is at the forefront of cultivating the next generation of translators and explainers, emphasizing hands-on and experiential learning. This exhibition is the result of two courses — Interactivity in the Educational Museum and Introduction to Immersive Media — investigating the intersection of design and technology to create interactive experiences for the public.
Featuring these student projects:
What's the Difference: A Sense of Scale
Sydney Purdue
When we listen to the world around us we do more than hear. We experience sensations that we can distinguish between physical 'emotions' and mental 'feelings.' These reactions can vary from person to person, ranging from a light feeling of calmness to an intense physical reaction For individuals with Misophonia, an auditory processing disorder that causes a nypersensivity to sound, certain noises can trigger a fight-or-flight response. Learning about our personal responses to sound can allow us to understand ourselves on a deeper level.
Smell the Roses
Scarlett Hanks
Smell the Coffee
May Elwakil
Resonate: Sounds & Sensitivity
Taylor Farnell
When we listen to the world around us we do more than hear. We experience sensations that we can distinguish between physical 'emotions' and mental 'feelings.' These reactions can vary from person to person, ranging from a light feeling of calmness to an intense physical reaction For individuals with Misophonia, an auditory processing disorder that causes a nypersensivity to sound, certain noises can trigger a fight-or-flight response. Learning about our personal responses to sound can allow us to understand ourselves on a deeper level.
Switch the Color
Ziyu Peng
Seeing Time
Yiming Sun
Did you know that time can be seen? "Seeing Time" aims to visually represent the concept of time and the scale of human life in relation to nature, helping visitors grasp the idea of temporal scale beyond human perception.
How Do Pets See
Gengyi Li
Feeling History
Anna Ibru
Heat Island Effect
Kamilah Thorne
Get Dizzy
Carina Halcomb
The Paradox of Digital Intimacy
Zhiman Bia
In an era dominated by technology, our fundamental modes of communication and connection are undergoing a profound transformation. It's not just about the devices we use, the digital platforms we engage with, or the speed at which we transmit information; it delves into the very core of human connection: touch.